GOOD LEADERSHIP, AND CLEAR COMMUNICATION FOR FUND-RAISING SUCCESS

The Question "WHAT MAKES A GOOD LEADER?" has been deliberated over by social observers, academic, military historians and many brilliant thinkers over the centuries. Are they born or are they made?

DEFINITIONS: As fund-raising is relationship based, rather than transactional based, (and it's very name suggests non profits are not resource rich in either human or economic terms) leadership requirements are perhaps a little different than those required in business.

Here is a guide to the selection criteria of a good leader:
	Enthusiasm and the ability to generate enthusiasm amongst others.
	Vision, and the ability to transmit this vision to others.
	The ability to work with, and get the best our of a wide range of people, whose backgrounds are both socially and professionally diverse. There is no degree course in effective fund-raising (although the subject forms many public relations courses).
	The ability to convert abstract concepts into organisational method. To have a good idea is one thing - to work out how to make the idea a reality, is another.
	Good communication skills - verbal, listening and interpersonal skills.
	Good writing skills (grant submissions, letters, press releases, etc).
	Good organisational skills (able to see "the wood from the tree").
	Able to assess a situation quickly, and think on their feet.
	Able to take responsibility and make decisions.
	Able to include others in decision making processes, and leave them feeling that they had useful input into the result and thus have a vested interest in the project.
	The ability to be innovative, and make use of available resources.
	Recognise that fund-raising is not a 9 to 5 occupation, and work accordingly.
	Has the ability to make "hard decisions" and know when to "cut the losses" and move onto new areas. Outdated ways of thinking or doing things are great impediments to effective fund-raising.
	If in charge of staff or committees, or volunteers, the ability to help them 'manage their time' and encourage their efforts.
	The ability to know how to "make others feel good", to understand the need to "reward" volunteers and donors, and the ability to put strategies in place to commit Donors to the organisation for long periods of time.
	Able to empower others, but maintain authority.

Make sure that they, as the 'leader', understands what their volunteers, committee members, and staff have to do, how they have to do it and monitor their work load. Burn out is a very common occurrence in fund-raising work.

Recognise that you cannot be good at everything. Have good 'self knowledge' and know when to delegate and organise yourself out of areas best done by someone else.